


Summer Days

by rainsonata



Category: Elsword (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossdressing, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-20
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-08 11:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19868779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainsonata/pseuds/rainsonata
Summary: Esper convinces Mastermind to go to the beach with him. Psyker loses a bet. College AU.





	Summer Days

**Author's Note:**

> Lusa - Lunatic Psyker  
> Add - Mastermind  
> Esper - Diabolic Esper  
> Ciel - Dreadlord  
> Raven - Reckless Fist

Wet sand stuck between Add’s toes, clumping together but falling apart as soon as the waves rose and tumbled over, rushing to his feet and washing them away. The floor darkened with the ice cold water, leaving trails of crumbled shells behind as the waves waned. He turned his head to the seagull’s cries overhead for the wind to toss and turn his ponytail into a tangled mess, the fresh salty air leaving dew on his pale skin to gleam under the sun’s warmth. 

Children shouted over the raging waves, running ahead of Add with buckets of water and sand in hand. Volleyball nets lined up with balls flying over beach goers and the smell of overcooked hot dogs wavering over sizzling sand. Tourists and locals alike flocked over to the many beaches connecting at the coasts, their overbearing chatter and umbrellas overlapping in a rainbow mass with Add straining his eyes for a familiar face when he heard his name.

“Add!”

Esper slid over to Add and stopped to pant like he had ran a mile or so; with the crowd of people, that was likely the case. In a black collared shirt buttoned up over a pair of purple swim trunks, it was rare to see Esper’s ghastly white arms and legs exposed, not without a healthy coating of sunscreen. His hands were oily when he extended them with two ice cream in each hand, already melting and dripping into a sticky mess.

Add accepted the ice cream and took the first lick. It had a creamy texture, a sweet yet tame flavor that lacked the excessive sweetness he would have expected from something dyed purple. He was sure his tongue would turn purple if he ate too much of it! Swirled with milk flavored ice cream, the ube ice cream sat in the mouth of the taiyaki, a fish-shaped pastry with filling on the insides.

“I didn’t think you would leave your room for ice cream,” Add said in between licks. “I thought you hated going to the beach.”

Esper grinned to display sharp teeth that often brought second looks from strangers. Add however was unfazed as Esper’s teeth were the least of the weird things concerning the thinner man.

“I do,” Esper took a big bite of ice cream and gulped it down. His ice cream was near identical to Add’s, but his was black sesame flavored. “But it’s hot and I want ice cream.”

Add snorted.

Esper had a terrible sweet tooth, but Add wasn’t going to complain if that meant being taken along on these trips to try out whatever wild food his friend happened to notice on his commutes to work. It made him look forward to seeing Esper after class to tell him about a new arcade opened near the pier or when the old pizza place closed down to be replaced with a trendier pastry shop. It beat spending the dead nights staring at equations until everything became a blur.

They sat underneath an umbrella on a beach towel Add laid on the fine sand. There wasn’t a lot of room for them to stretch, but it was far enough from the scorching sand to enjoy the ocean breeze without getting the towel wet from the approaching tide. Add sat with his legs closed together, leaning over and using the tiny spoon that came with the ice cream to eat the second half of it. Ice cream dripped down the taiyaki and made his hands sticky, Add pinching his nose in annoyance of having to wash it off later. How could something delicious be gross when it dried out?

The taiyaki was sweet and crunchy at the edges, but chewy and soft in the middle with a custard filling Add sunk his teeth into. Esper was already done when Add turned to see the other with sticky hands and a cheery disposition. He envied Esper for chomping through ice cream without getting a brain freeze.

Add was nibbling on the taiyaki as his eyes wandered off into the distance. There was no signs of the crowd thinning out, people all around them crowding to find space to sit on the beach. The college student sat up to run over to the ocean to wash his hands when his eyes caught sight of someone passing by in his peripheral vision.

Eyes widened and Add blinked, looking away when he thought the stranger caught him staring. Sunshine shone over a tall figure, but they kept their arms and legs closed to themself with a slouched back. Add glanced again to see white hair brushed over a man’s face with jawlines drawn tight, mumbling incoherent words that sounded like cursing. If looks could kill, Add would have died a dozen times from the man’s murderous glares even a basilisk would fear. 

“Add?” Esper’s voice barely reached Add. Taking the last bite of his ice cream, he leaned over Add’s shoulder and waved his hand. “What are you looking at?”

Arms crossed and eyes looking down at the sand, there was little room for imagination because the man’s clothes - or rather lack of, exposing his stomach revealed a lean figure. Long tanned legs closed, it was a flimsy attempt to hide the tight fit for the lower half of the two piece swimsuit he was wearing. The top had an opening at the chest area and tied around his neck that getting to be as red as its owner.

What the hell was he wearing?

Add averted his eyes, but the damage was done. He couldn’t unsee the sight of a man in a bikini. It looked tight on him, why would someone… he shook his head. He was not going to think about what a stranger was wearing when that was none of his concern, nope. Absolutely not!

A sly smirk reached Esper’s features when he saw what Add was was looking at. _Oh no._ Add recognized that look. What was Esper up to? Add turned the other way to leave when he saw the man walking to their direction, but Esper grabbed him by the hood and pulled it over his head. Arms locked, there was nowhere for Add to run off.

“Esper!” Add whined. “Don’t stare!”

“You’re the one staring,” Esper snickered. “He’s looking at us.”

“Yeah, because you’re loud!” Add hissed.

“Both of you are loud.”

Both looked up to see the man in question glaring down at them with angry eyes. Under the absurd clothes, it was clear that he worked out and could break them into two like twigs. He had white hair spiked up like a porcupine, which was suiting because he looked positively pissed.

Add sweated profusely.

* * *

_Fucking Ciel_ , the man named Lusa cursed under his breath. Ciel and Raven had ran off to grab food earlier, but he hasn’t seen them since then. 

He was going to murder those bastards when he was done with this stupid nonsense. It was already bad that he lost the bet, but Ciel had to suggest wearing a bikini in public and Raven threw a second component that involved interacting with people. As if it wasn’t enough getting stares from people! At this point, his “punishment” was going to last the whole day. He didn’t want to think about the possibility of any classmates recognizing him and deciding to post pictures online.

Lusa felt his face glowing and blood traveling up his ears when he approached those two strangers for not being so subtle in talking behind his back. One wore enough sunscreen to supply a family and showed no shame in being called out for being loud, grinning ear to ear like he found the whole thing amusing. His friend was shaking with long sidebangs peeking out from his hoodie, looking down and avoiding eye contact like Lusa was going to bite his head off. Both looked to be around the same age as Lusa. They made an odd pair for coming to the beach. 

“We’re sorry,” the one in the hoodie lowered his head into a bow. “We weren’t talking bad of you, I promise!”

“Add and I were wondering if you chose the pattern.” the skinny one asked.

“Esper!” Add gasped at the blunt question.

Lusa grumbled, “My friends picked it.”

The swimsuit in question was a two piece with a tropical floral print in a multitude of colors (“It brings out the color in your eyes,” Raven teased.). It had a long piece of string to tie around his neck to keep the top piece in place, constraining to wear, almost suffocating with how tight it was. It wasn’t as skimpy as the striped one Ciel found that looked more like string than pieces of cloth, but it was as impractical as every other outfit suggested to him. Lusa couldn’t understand why anyone would want to wear something that barely covered their skin.

Lusa felt exposed standing in the middle of the beach and talking to strangers he just met. He groaned and covered his face, wondering how long this charade was going to last. They didn’t appear to have malevolent intentions, but it was uncomfortable how tight the swimsuit was and tugged it down with his hand to cover himself.

“Why did your friends make you wear this?” Add asked.

Lusa scowled, “I lost a bet.” 

“And you have to wear it all day?” Add glanced at the tacky pattern on the swimsuit, too colorful for Lusa’s preference.

“Until I get someone’s phone number,” Lusa rolled his eyes.

What was this, a comedy romance? He was this close to punching Raven when his older friend made the suggestion, clearly inspired from a movie his girlfriend made him watch the week before. The idea was as tacky as it sounded because most people avoided his eye contact when he approached them or chose to ignore him. It was as bad as getting gawked at like they were at a zoo. 

“Want to join us for ice cream?” Esper overrode Lusa’s internal predicament with a grin. 

“We just ate,” Add pointed out.

“Then I’ll get an extra one for myself,” Esper sang.

It was such a normal request. Lusa checked their faces out of suspicion, but Add was just as surprised as he was by the invitation and Esper was beaming. They weren’t friends, but Esper was welcoming him with open arms and trying to make him comfortable. He wasn’t afraid of making conversation and letting it known he was happy to see Lusa. It was like hanging out with a puppy. 

Add on the other hand was rather standoffish, reserved and spoke when necessary. Lusa thought something must be up because Add kept looking away and avoiding him like the plague. He was stiff and always looked like he would rather be somewhere else. What was his deal? If Add didn’t like him, he could have told his friend no and that would be the end of it. He was Esper’s friend, not his. 

Add sat up to shake the sand off his clothes, his hoodie fell off to reveal that the man had shoulder length hair tied into a ponytail. He gestured the other to do the same, Esper cocking his head to the side in confusion but got up. Tucking a sliver of hair behind his ear, he rolled the beach towel to offer it to Lusa with kindness in his features.

“You look like you need it,” Add explained when Lusa gave him a questioning look. “It would be hard to walk in that, wouldn’t it?”

Then Lusa realized. Add didn’t hate him, but he was nervous? Why? Lusa was the one prancing about in women’s swimsuit while the other was in comfortable clothes. If anything, Lusa should be the flustered one and unsure of himself. His fist loosened with Lusa softening his expression when he saw how thin Add was when they stood next to each other.

What was Lusa doing lashing out his anger at people? His bad attitude probably scared Add off and Esper was combating it with smiles and light-hearted laughter. Was it okay for him to accept the ice cream invitation and get in the way of two friends being together? Lusa sulked and lowered his head in shame that he once again forgot to keep his temper in check. 

Staring at the towel, Lusa accepted it with grace and made sure that Add knew he was thankful, nodding at the kind gesture and hoping it would make up for his rude behavior. It wrapped around his waist, but it was more than enough when he could cover the top with his arms. 

“I, um, thanks.” Lusa scratched the back of his head with a sheepish look.

Add was reciprocal to the change in Lusa’s body language, relaxing his shoulders and giving him calm eyes that were hard to read. He didn’t talk as much as Esper, but maybe Lusa was wrong to judge him so soon. Something caught in his throat when Add finally smiled. 

* * *

“We go to the same school?” Add recognized the keychain charm of their university’s emblem, hanging off a key strap around Lusa’s neck. He had one identical to Lusa’s in plain sight on his keyring.

He looked at Lusa with careful eyes, pressing his knuckles over his mouth. It was strange in seeing the man change from fuming like a cat to fumbling over his words and forgetting what he wanted to say to Add. Something clicked once Add offered his towel and Lusa became more grateful, even bashful. It was bemusing and Esper thought so too because the thinner man chuckled when Lusa agreed to join them. 

Walking down the pier was a pleasant affair. They passed by shops stocked with postcards and odd knicknacks, small stands under tents selling jewelry and art crafts made from seashells and gemstones. Esper pointed in glee at the kites and pinwheels outside one of the shops, wind chimes jingling in time to the seagulls’ cries. The salty air made Add feel alive with Lusa walking beside them. 

Much to his surprise, Lusa followed without complaint with the taiyaki ice cream in hand, ube and black sesame swirled with sprinkles and a strawberry on top by Esper and Add’s request respectively. He didn’t think Lusa was one to enjoy sweets until he lit up at the mention of ice cream. It was like all of his anger no longer existed with the man becoming more human when he smiled, crinkles in his eyes making him look younger. Add froze when he saw the canine teeth peeking from his lips. Unlike Esper, Lusa took long licks to savor the taste. 

“How come I’ve never seen you around?” Lusa asked Add with new interest, eyes squinted in trying to recall if the two had ever met.

Nudging Add with a wink, Esper’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “That’s because he’s always asleep in the library!”

Brushing Esper’s hand away, he feigned a scowl but struggled to keep his lips pressed into a tight line, a stifled laugh escaped his lips. There was no use in denial when it was true, as poor as Esper’s choice in words were. He thought it was fair to sacrifice a bit of sleep to claim a spot and nap to make up said loss until Esper or their classmates caught up to him. With enough times, the hardwood tables were becoming comfortable as long as he had a sweater or his backpack to use for a pillow. There were enough jokes from his friends that Add lived at the library. 

“Wish I had time for that,” Lusa chuckled. “I could use some sleep too.”

“What do you do outside of class?” Add was curious.

“Go to the gym,” Lusa shrugged. “Helps relieve some stress from exams, y’know?”

 _Of course…_ Add sighed.

It shouldn’t be surprising they went to the same school when it was within a day’s trip from the beach. But still… How many times did they pass by each other without a second thought on campus? The gym wasn’t out of the way from where Add walked to class everyday. Or maybe they never came into contact because they were with different friends with unshared interests.

“You okay with this?” Add asked, unsure if this was his place to ask, afraid he was making things awkward for all of them. “Hanging out with us instead of your friends?”

Looking at him wide eyed, Lusa crossed his arms, a habit Add noticed when the man was annoyed or thinking about something inconvenient. With a visible sigh, he scratched the back of his neck, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be. Besides, those losers probably got lost because Ciel saw something cute and forgot to check where he was. He’ll be okay if Raven’s there.”

Add didn’t know who Ciel was, but if he was anything like Lusa, the image of a tall muscular man getting distracted by a stray cat made him snicker. Still, it was odd that Lusa’s friends disappeared when they pulled through the effort to throw him into a bikini. Not even calling Lusa to see if he was okay? He frowned at the implications of what he thought was suspicious behavior. 

“You know…” Add started. “I can talk to your friends if they bother you.“

“I’ll fight them~” Esper pulled his arms out in what was supposed to be a fighting pose with a grape popsicle in his mouth.

“Huh?” Lusa spun around to face with with taiyaki in his mouth. Brushing the crumbs from his mouth, he shook his head in frantic. “No, no, they’re okay! They’re just idiots.”

“You’re not mad at them?” Add found the courage the ask. 

“Oh, I’m pissed.” Lusa bared his teeth into a grin, “I’ll get them back the next time they lose. That’s the last time I’ll let them pick a game.”

All of this over… video games? Unbelievable, Add shook his head with wonder. Childish and petty, yet he was entertained by Lusa’s enthusiasm for bouncing back and already in the midst of conducting a comeback plan. It was none of his business since he didn’t know Lusa’s friends, but he wanted to hear. 

“You don’t need to worry about me, but I appreciate that.” Lusa said when he realized Add’s concern was genuine. “Are you okay having me interrupt you two?”

It took Add a split second to realize Lusa was talking about Esper, who was finishing a popsicle he bought from the ice cream stand when they passed by. He suddenly felt bad because Esper was the one who suggested Lusa to tag along, but hardly spoke for the past few minutes, consumed by his sugary treat and letting their conversation play out. 

“I had fun today,” Esper beamed. “Let’s do this again.”

Yeah… It was fun. In the middle of talking, he and Esper discovered they weren’t in the same department, but their buildings were closed together, so they could have met before in passing. Add didn’t game as much as Lusa or Esper did, but he was eager to share his recommendation on books when he learned they shared interest in science fiction. He surprised himself on how easy it was to talk to Lusa when they have only known each other for a few hours.

It was summer, so the sun was still up, but the tides were picking up when they came back to take one last look at the ocean. With the day ending, the temperature dipped to a cooler breeze when Add realized Lusa was still in that embarrassing get up. Didn’t Lusa mention phone numbers? 

Perhaps it was Esper’s presence giving him confidence, but Add had no fear when he drew a piece of paper from his bag. The pen shook in his hand as he jolt down his name and a series of numbers. It was something he should have done from the start. 

“Any number will do, right?” Add pressed the paper onto Lusa. Even his voice was shaking, “Wear pants next time if you want to hang out.”

Speechless, Lusa gave a frantic nod and accepted the paper with a flustered expression, scrunching up his brows as if he couldn’t believe it. Running his finger over the numbers in purple ink, his eyes moved in rapid movement, biting his lips like the man was concentrating to remember it in one go. He folded the paper into a neat little square, tucking it inside his bag for safe keeping.

Add held his breath.

* * *

Not too long after they parted ways, Add’s phone vibrated from the confines of his pocket in his hoodie when he got into the car. The traffic was beginning to clear up when they left the beach, Esper was driving this time. The screen lit up with a line of notifications, but they were white noise to him when he saw the icon for a new text. Esper gave him a long look as Add put in his password to find a message from a number he didn’t recognize.

_> hi, it’s Lusa, the guy from earlier  
>thanks for the ice cream, want to study sometime?_

His name was Lusa, Add stared at the name. He didn’t think Lusa would respond back in such short notice or if the man would want to talk to him at all after their brief interaction. Add’s eyes were on alert when the icon popped up to indicate the other was texting. There was a pause, which Add took the time read the two messages again to make sure it was the right person. He lost his grip on his phone when a shorter message appeared.

 _> I know a coffee place near my house  
>you like coffee?_

Add liked coffee, more than what was healthy for most people. His bloodstream was probably made of caffeine and he learned the hard way last finals week not to mix it with energy drinks. It was an incident Esper wouldn’t let him forget either when he gave Add a giant coffee mug for his birthday. He texted a few words back and chuckled. 

_coffee is good_  
you have the name and address?  
_I’m free this weekend_

“Already texting when we’re leaving?” Esper teased, “Cute.”

Add turned pink. “He’s thanking us for covering his ass.”

“Literally or figuratively?” His friend joked.

Add ignored him to avoid giving Esper the pleasure of being embarrassed over a trivial comment. Although… credit was due for Esper’s initiative in getting Lusa to come over and talk to them when things could have been different. He couldn’t pretend like all of this was dumb luck when Esper pulled the strings. 

A warm feeling lingered on his chest when their conversation took a turn for the better with Add discovering what kind of person Lusa was. He was grumpy at first glance, but he wasn’t a bad man if he had good humor in joining them once the false impressions were resolved. Lusa didn’t treat Esper like a second thought and took Add’s concerns at face value.

After much maneuvering around the parking lot, they were on the road among the line of cars attempting to do the same. His stomach growled when they passed by a burger joint in the coastal town before Esper found the freeway leading them home. It was dark when Add remembered Lusa’s friends. What happened to them? 

_did you find your friends?_

Add remembered Lusa saying he was leaving with them. 

_> found Ciel_  
>I knew I couldn’t leave them alone, we’re going home now.  
>oh, here’s the address

His phone lit up with a new text. In the same message, Lusa provided the name and place of the coffee shop from before, two blocks away from the university. Add knew that place. It was the place with good muffins and one of his friends worked there.

Turning his eyes away from his phone, Add’s eyes fell back on the road and smiled.

* * *

_Omake_

“Let’s go,” Raven twitched. “You’ve been staring at them for 20 minutes.”

Ciel had a nasty habit of getting distracted easily, let it be cars, video games, the newest music album, or anything he considered cute in the strange vague definition of his. The white haired man’s eyes lit up like stars the moment he saw the bakery and stopped to take pictures of the pastries on display with his phone’s camera. Let it be damned that they lost track of Lusa when he had the car keys, Raven followed the white haired man to make sure he wouldn’t get lost. 

“What’s that?” Raven squinted at the white blob through the glass window. It had a blue leaf on its head with dotted eyes and a straight line for its mouth.

“It’s breadlord!” It was like witnessing a child in a candy shop, or in this case, a bakery. Ciel beamed, “I’ll buy it for my sister.”

Raven sighed, “Don’t give me that excuse. That’s not what Lu told me when you bought those cat plushies.”

Raven found it hard to believe anyone would want to eat something that looked like it had witnessed a crime at the downtown parking lot. The Phoru cookie next to it at least looked happier and held a seashell in its hand, decorated in pastel colored frosting.

Ciel opened his mouth to retort when his phone rang. “Oh, hey Lusa. What’s up?”

“Don’t ‘what’s up’ me,” Lusa’s voice came from the other end. “Where are you?”

“Ciel found something cute,” Raven stole Ciel’s phone and teased, “Did you have fun without us?”

“Joke’s on you,” Lusa snorted. “I got someone’s number before you losers finished your cute shopping trip. I win.”

Raven laughed, “All right, we’ll be there.”

It wasn’t hard to find Lusa, who was waiting for them in the parking lot where their car was, already changed back into his normal clothes. Ciel gave a sheepish laugh in admitting he had given in to buying sweets again, but Lusa wasn’t listening. He was texting something when Raven asked him what he wanted to have for dinner. When Raven asked, Lusa shrugged, but the college student was smiling.

“Let’s go home,” Lusa said. “I’m hungry.”

 _Add_ , Raven rubbed his chin when he caught the name on Lusa’s phone. Interesting… 

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on August 3, 2018 on Tumblr.


End file.
